You have been in the gym five days a week for months, lifting hard and doing everything right, or so you thought. Then you step on the scales and the number has gone down. Your arms still look like sticks in the mirror. If that sounds familiar, you are not cursed and you are not wasting your time. You are probably what lifters call a hardgainer, and learning how to build muscle as a hardgainer comes down to a handful of specific changes to how you eat, train and recover.
What is a hardgainer?
A hardgainer is someone who finds it unusually difficult to gain weight, whether muscle or fat. Hardgainers tend to be naturally tall and slim (the classic ectomorph build), have a fast metabolism and a high level of everyday movement, and often eat far less than they think they do. They may also gain strength a little more slowly than people with a stockier frame. None of this means you cannot build an impressive physique; it means the standard advice needs adjusting.
1. Eat more than you think you need
This is the single biggest factor. You cannot build tissue out of nothing, and a fast metabolism means your maintenance intake is higher than most calorie calculators suggest. Start by adding around 500 calories a day to your current intake, weigh yourself weekly, and if the scales have not moved after two weeks, add another 250.
- Aim for roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. See our guide to protein sources.
- Fill the rest with quality carbohydrates (rice, oats, potatoes, pasta, fruit) and healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado, whole eggs) rather than junk. A surplus built on fast food adds fat, not muscle.
- If you struggle to eat enough, split your intake across four to six smaller meals and drink some of your calories. Smoothies with oats, milk, banana, peanut butter and protein powder are far less filling than the same calories on a plate.
Not sure what a surplus actually looks like? Read our explainer on the difference between a calorie deficit and surplus.
2. Keep cardio in check
Good news: you have permission to do less cardio. Every kilometre you run is energy that could have gone toward growth. Do not eliminate it entirely, because heart health and work capacity matter, but keep it to two or three short, easy sessions a week and eat back what you burn.
3. Build your training around compound lifts
Isolation machines have their place, but hardgainers get the most from the big movements that let you load a lot of muscle at once: squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows and pull-ups. These recruit more muscle fibres, allow heavier loads and drive the hormonal and mechanical stimulus that growth depends on. Structure each session around two or three compound lifts, then add a couple of accessories if you have energy left.
Then chase progression. Add a little weight or an extra rep each week and track it. Our guide to progressive overload explains how.
4. Train less often, but better
More is not better; better is better. Muscle grows while you recover, and hardgainers who train six days a week often out-train their ability to eat and sleep enough to recover. Three or four focused sessions a week is plenty. As a guide, beginners see good growth from around 10 hard sets per muscle group per week, and intermediates from 10 to 15. Prioritise quality reps with full range of motion over grinding out junk volume.
5. Sleep and be patient
Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night; it is when the bulk of your muscle repair and growth hormone release happens. Then give the process time. Muscle takes months and years to build for everyone, and it may take a little longer for you. A realistic target for a natural hardgainer is around 0.25 to 0.5 kilograms of body weight a month, most of it muscle if your training and diet are dialled in. Take progress photos and measurements every four weeks rather than judging by the mirror daily.
The hardgainer’s advantage
Being a hardgainer has its upside. You can eat generously without gaining much fat, and the muscle you build tends to look lean and defined because there is little covering it. Lifting is a lifelong game. Stick with a calorie surplus, heavy compound training and proper recovery, and the size will come.
Get a program built for your body type
At Hammer’s Gym in Nunawading our personal trainers can teach you safe technique on the compound lifts, build a progressive program and give you practical nutrition guidance to gain weight the right way. Train on one of the biggest strength floors in Melbourne’s east, minutes from Box Hill, Mitcham, Blackburn and Burwood. Book a free one-day trial and let’s get you growing.